Penola’s Best Kept Secret
A thriving herb garden is tucked beyond a rustic picket fence and two timber slab cottages on Penola’s Petticoat Lane in South Australia’s Limestone Coast.
Entry is free, and visitors are encouraged to wander and enjoy the bounty of some beautiful volunteers.
I’ve shared their story in the latest edition of Australian Country Style, and was delighted to read the following in the editor’s opening letter:
As we put the magazine together, my team often tells me which stories they like the best. One that has inspired more comments than most is Gretel Sneath’s piece on the National Trust Herb Garden.
Yay!
The May issue also features my article on Wagner’s Rose Nursery which features in an earlier blog post. More gorgeous people and their roses are the best I’ve seen – magazine pix are exquisite!
Limestone Coast Wine History Project – Wrattonbully
It’s exciting when a visiting Canadian wine critic tweets the following about the Wine History Project I’m working on in partnership with the Limestone Coast Grape and Wine Council and Fed Creative:
Perhaps our production team could head to Canada next! Stage two of the local project found us filming in Wrattonbully, where we delved deep into wine history in an underground cave.
It’s an amazing feeling drinking wine made from grapes growing above your head! We collected four hours worth of interviews on tape, with wine writer Mike Bennie on the mike, and some rather cute photos in between.
Here’s the edited version:
The rest of the clips can also be found on the Limestone Coast Grape and Wine Council’s website.
SA’s Stunning Limestone Coast
The Limestone Coast certainly turned on the weather when I chaperoned a crew working on a South Australian Tourism Commission photo shoot by hugely talented photographer Adam Bruzzone . It took quite a crowd – make-up, wardrobe, models – to get the gorgeous shots.
Fascinating to watch, and I took photos of the people taking and making photos with my iPhone…who could resist? Here’s the hero shot of my own little portfolio. Why go to Fiji when you can visit Beachport?
Coonawarra, Robe, Mt Benson, Port MacDonnell, Mount Gambier and Naracoorte also starred. (Looking forward to seeing the professional images soon in brochures and advertising campaigns.)
Selector Autumn Edition
It’s always a pleasure to head to Coonawarra to research an article, stock up on some wine and chat with a great bunch of locals.
There’s also some fabulous photo opportunities – here’s my shot of the Coonawarra siding, a true local icon. You’ll find it along with my words in the new Autumn edition of Selector.
Click here to read the article in my Portfolio.
Cover image by Sharyn Cairns.
Smell the Roses
My latest magazine assignment delivered me to a field of roses. While the uber talented Sharyn Cairns snapped away, I was busily planning planting schemes for my garden at home. Oh and doing interviews.
The scent was just incredible – these were your true garden bush roses.
A tricky day trying to escape the harsh sunlight and find pockets of shade, and I was able to take several buckets of blooms home, so there are now beautiful vases everywhere.
Here is the article in my portfolio.
Weight Watchers Magazine – Best Family Walks in Australia
Weight Watchers magazine requested a feature on the best Autumn walks for its fabulous March re-launch edition. Perfect, as we’ve taken some terrific family hikes in the past 12 months. My most memorable? Wilsons Promontory in Victoria…
The Ayers Rock base walk…
And Mitchell Falls at the top of Western Australia…
All three get a mention in the article appearing in the latest edition. My hot tip: never underestimate how far littlies can walk, especially when a crystal clear waterhole awaits at the end of the trail.
Country Style Magazine Guest Blogger
I was a recent guest blogger for Country Style magazine, sharing my love of hunting for time-worn treasures like this $3 quilt, found in the little oppie in my coastal village…
It now looks perfectly at home on my daughter’s bed (another thrifting find!).
I enjoyed playing stylist around some of the favourite spots on our farm, including the rustic gateway to the secluded ‘Hundred Acre Wood’ where we spend many a night sitting under the stars…Click here to view my post.
Real Weddings – Terry Biviano and Rebecca Twigley
And here we are in 2013! Let’s go….
I used the holiday break to catch up on a mountain of magazines, including the Real Weddings Summer Issue, which features a collection of articles I have recently written.
There’s some exquisite brides in there, including shoe designer Terry Biviano, who wore J’Aton Couture when she married rugby league player Anthony Minichiello.
“The designers poured their love, sweat and tears into every inch of the dress, and literally made the lace embroidery fabric. It was a true, one-of-a-kind, handmade couture gown,” Terry said.
J’Aton Couture also made the dress of another Real Weddings bride – Rebecca Twigley – who married AFL star Chris Judd. I was lucky enough to write about that wedding, too, and you’ll find it in my portfolio click here .
Telstra Rural Media Awards 2012
I entered three magazine articles in the 2012 Telstra Rural Media Awards hosted by Rural Media South Australia. Bit of a long shot, given that I’m not a specialist rural writer…more a writer who happens to live regionally and writes for national publications. But I was really happy with these articles which all happened to have a rural slant, so I thought I’d give it a crack. I received an email saying that I was a finalist, and headed off to the awards ceremony in Adelaide. Didn’t quite get there, and finished runner up – Highly Commended – in the Best Rural Print Journalist Award. Got to be happy with that!
The Secret Garden
I have been enchanted by walled gardens ever since reading Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden as a child. Imagine my delight when I visited this beauty today on a magazine assignment. Tucked away on a country property, it took my breath away…
I’ll be sure to share the article once it goes to print.
I’m Gretel Sneath, accomplished freelance writer & storyteller. When I'm not on the road, you'll find me on South Australia's Limestone Coast.